Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Zoe Williams

in the Guardian is, despite coming from the wrong angle, actually right onthis one, I think:

Nobody wants to have the conversation that goes "Is abortion right or wrong?", since there would be no way of pacifying whichever branch you alienated with your answer.

... Michael Howard, what's your alternative to abortion "on demand"? Abortion at random? Tony Blair, if you "personally dislike the idea", what does that mean? That you think it's morally wrong? Charles Kennedy, "I don't know" is not an answer, and it's certainly not one you would dare to give to any other question.

We have to have the argument that nobody wants to have, before we forget how it's done.

There are occasional problems with being A Polite and Commercial People, including the incredible discomfort brought on by anything approaching a public debate about morality.